Bearing arrangement for multicolor printing machines



July 19, V,nu EGLI BEARING ARRANGEMENT FOR MULTICOLOR PRINTING MACHINESFiled May 18, 1929 yec Patented` July 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE ARNOLD EGLI, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY Application filed May 18, 1929,Serial No. 364,267, and in Germany May 19, 1928.

In multi-color sheet intaglio printing machines it is necessary that'the printing cylinders, of which preferably several are arranged on theperiphery of a common impression cylinder, be set accurately towardseach other not only'in a radial'direction but also in an axial sense andin such amanner, that when the setting is finished the printing cylindercan be moved close to the imm pression cylinder and away from it withoutimpairing the setting. Said printing cylinder must be supported therebyso it can absorb any radial pressure.

In accordance with the present invention,

l each printing cylinder is supported by three bearings, two of whichare adapted to absorb only radial pressures, whereas they permit axialshifting of the printing cylinder. These bearings are arranged in theengine frame by which the impression cylinder also is supported. Iprovide the third bearing in a third partition in the engine structure,such bearl beingarranged to .secure the printing cyllnder against axialshifting dur- 5 ing the operation, but permitting an advanced setting inthis direction, said bear ing being constructed in such away that it canabsorb only radial forces in a perpendicularV direction.

One embodiment of said invention is represented in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein for the sake of a better understanding onl thoseengine parts have been shown whlch are directly affected by the presentf invention, while the well known parts of the multi color sheetintaglio printing machine necessary for its operation as for instancethe drivin gear ofv thev printing cylinder and the li e havenot beenillustrated. In osaid drawings, L

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, partly in ievation, of myimprovedprinting cylinder Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a bearing bracket online II-II of Fig. 1. p

Fig. 3 illustrates in side view a detail of the drivinggear of theprinting cylinder.

Fig. 4 is a section on line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows a section through the impres- 'sion cylinder and theprinting cylinders of a three color sheet intaglio printing machine.

It has 'been found suitable to use in multicolor sheet intaglio printingmachines tubular printing cylinders removably arranged on the supportingelements so that they can be readily exchanged. AAt tubular printingcylinder 10 of this type, ribbed on the inside, is shown in theembodiment of the invention illustrated. The cylinder is mounted betweenthe tightening devices 5, 6 and the 00 setting devices 7, 8 and 9 on aconical supporting member 2 rigidly attached to the shaft 1. The shaft 1of the printing cylinder is supported in three bearings, two beinglocated in the two main Walls a, b of the engine frame, and the third ina special partition c of the engine frame arranged outside the two wallsa, b. The bearings in the engine walls a, Z) are arranged as shown inside View in Fig. 2 and comprise bearing 70 brackets 11, 11, mounted toswing around the bolts 12, 12', said brackets being provided withconical bores for receiving conical bearing cases 13, 13 and crossbearings 14, 14. Thelatter Aare mounted on sliding bearing sleeves 15,15 which cannot tu-rn around the shaft ends butmay be shiftedlongitudinally on the shaft. It will be seen that these bearingsarranged in the walls a and b can absorb radial pressures when thebearing brackets 11, 11 have` been placed into the pressure position bymeans of the bell crank lever 7c (Fig. 2) and when said printing'cylinder is operating together with the impression cylinder.

Thev driving of the printing cylinder is effected by a driving wheel,not shown in; the drawings, engaging the toothed wheel 16, which turnsfreely Von shaft -1. The toothed wheel is provided on the periphery 90of the rim with a groove 16 engaging the guide finger 17 attached to thebearing case; said finger preventing an axial shifting of the wheelagainst the engine frame b. The shaft is turned by the toothed Wheelwith the aid of a disk 18 (Fig. 3) which can be fixedly clamped upon theshaft end, la slot 19 in said disk engaging a catch bolt 20 of 'thewheel 16, the connection between the slot 100 19 and the bolt 20 beingeffected by an adjustable eccentricsleeve 21 and a sliding hub 22. It ispossible by these means to set the shaft 1 and the printing cylinder 10in radial direction with regard to the peripheral direction," the roughsetting being effected by turning and tightening the clamping disk 18,whereas the fine setting is done by a turn of the eccentric sleeve inthe hub 22. The axial shifting of the shaft in the limits which are tobe considered here is not obstructed by this connection as the hub 22may be shifted axially in the slot 19.

Thesetting in an axial sense is done by means of a hand wheel 23, whichturns on the outer shaft end, but isarranged so that it cannot beshifted axially; the hub fof said wheel being provided with threads 23on v the external periphery engaging with the internal threads in thesleeve 25. This sleeve 25 with its iange rings 25 and 25" is placedagainst the artition c of the engine frame by a tight t thus preventingany shifting in axial direction. While said sleeve generally is notguided axially in the wall its upper side is provided with a fiattenedportion 28,

which may be placed against a correspondd essary for this urpose toltake out the bearing surface in the partition c. A pin 30 arrangedinthe wall 'c engages with a slot 29 to prevent a turning of thethreaded sleeve 25. The setting of the shaft 1 together with the partsmounted thereon can therefore be effected in axial direction in anydesired way by turning the hand wheel 23.V When the setting hasbeenfeifected the slotted and threaded sleeve 25 is clamped tightly uponthe spindle 23 so that the setting becomes xed. If the printing c linder10 is to be removed, this will be e ected by means of the flattened`surface 28, andit 1s only necing case 13 (*ig. 1 on the right) whosesmallest diameter is greater than the greatest outside diameter of theprintin cylinder 10 and of the tightening device 5.V hen the bearingcase 13 with the bearin 14. has been taken out, the surface 28 will' eplaced close to the casing wall c securely supporting in nearlyhorizontal .position the shaft 1 tigether with the bearing 13, 14 in thewa By `means of the improved mechanism above described, .the shaft 1 canbe axially shifted to adjust theprinting cylinder or 'shell 10, which isusually of copper, accu rately with respect tothe printing cylinders onthe other printing rollers of the machine. `Because of the fact that thedriving gear 16 is loose on the shaft 1, it can remainconstantly in meshwith its driving pinion (not shown) irrespective of the axial shiftingof such shaft. Motion is therefore transmitted from the gear wheel 16Vto the shaft 1 in an indirect manner' with the aid of the bolt 20,

sleeve 21 and sliding hub 22 and disc 18, the

latter beingkeyed to the shaft. Axial movement of the wheel 16 with theshaft 1, which may occur when the wheel becomes stuclcor frozen to theshaft, is prevented by the finger 17 Whichlmay be positioned on a fixedpart of the machine and engages a groove 16 on the wheel.

My improved arrangement of bearings al*- lows the resetting oftheprinting cylinder .into the original position to take place in aquick manner without play by means of the conical bearing case; abearing case of cylindrical or rectangular shape necessitating much playfor the easy`exchanging Vor replacement of the cylinder on account ofthe edging, the eliminating of which would be accompanied bydiffculties'of design.

I claim:

l. Multi color sheet intaglio printing machine comprising, incombination, an impression cylinder, printing cylinders movable towardsthe impression cylinder and away from it, each printing c lindersupported by a shaft,l at least two earings for supporting the s haft, a`third bearing, and stops on the shaft at or next to the third bearingand adapted to secure the shaft against axial shifting.

2. Multi color sheet intaglio printing machine comprising, incombination, an impresg sion cylinder, printing cylinders `movable to`wards the impression cylinder and away from it, eachprinting cylindersupported by a shaft, at least two .bearings for supporting the shaft, athird bearing, stops on the shaft at or next to the third bearing, andmeans for fixing said third bearing after its setting against themachineframe.

3. Multi color sheet intaglio printing machine comprising, incombination, an impression cylinder, printing cylinders movable t0-wards the impression cylinder and away from it, each printing cylindersupported by a shaft, at least two bearings for supporting the shaft,bearing brackets on the two main walls of the frame of the machine forsupporting the two iirst bearings, a third bearing for said shaft, stopson the shaft at or next to the third bea-ring, and means forsupportingsaid third bearing.

4. Multi color sheet intaglio printing machine comprising', incombination, an impression cylinder, printing cylinders movable towardsthe lmpression cylinder and away from it,each printing cylindersupported by a shaft, at least two bearings for supporting the shaft,bearing brackets on the two main walls of the frame of the machine forsuphub, said bearing element arranged inthe thirdframe wall, means forsecuring said element in the frame wall against turning and shifting;said bearing element provided with a slot on the front face, and meansfor forcing the walls of said slot toward each other to iix the hub ofthe hand wheel after the setting of same with respect to the ma chineframe.

5. Multi color sheet intaglio printing machine comprising, incombination, an impression cylinder, printing cylinders movable towardsthe impression cylmderand away from it, each printing cylinder supportedby a shaft, .at least two bearings for lodging the shaft, bearingbrackets on the two main walls of the engine frame of the machine forsupporting the two first bearings, a third ybearing, the machine framehaving also a third.

owall, a hand wheel havin a hub on the end of the printing cylinder saft, stops on said shaft on both =sides of the hub of the hand A wheel,threads on the hub of said hand wheel ,a threaded bearing elementreceiving said hub, said bearing element arranged in the third framewall, means for securing s aid bearing element in the framev wallagainst turning and shifting; said bearing element provided with a sloton the front face, and 0 means for forcing the walls of said slot towardeach other to fix the hub of the hand wheel after the setting of samewith respect to the machine frame. the upper part of said bearingelement being flattened, such flattened portionadapted to support theshaftwafter lthe removal of one of the two other bearings.`

6. Multi color sheet intaglio 'printing machine comprising, incombination, an impression cylinder, printing cylinders movable to- 40wards the impression cylinder and away from wheel on' the shaft of theprinting cylinder,l

-' frame,

it, each printing cylinder supported by a A shaft, at least two bearingsfor supporting the shaft, a third bearing, stops on the shaft at or nextto the third bearing, a driving a linger rigidly connected with themachine fram"e,'a groovein said wheel engaged by'said finger, a catch onsaid wheel, a sleeve around said catch, a second sleeve around saidfirst sleeve, and a driven wheel rigidly connected with the printingcylinder shaft, said driven wheel having a radial slotfor receiving'thelsecond sleeve. a

7. Multi color sheet intaglio printing machine comprising, incombinatiom'an impression cylinder, printing cylinders ymovable towardsthe impression cylinder and away from it, eac printing cylindersupported by a shaft, at least two bearings for supporting the shaftiathird bearing, stops on the.shaft at or next to the third bearing, adriving wheel on theishaft of the printing cylinder,"A

a finger rigidly connected with the engine a-groove in saidwheelfengaged by said ingeig'a catch on said wheel, a sleeve laroundsaid catch, said sleeve having an eccentricalshape on its outside, asecond sleeve around said first sleeve, anda driven wheel -rigidly.connected with the' printing cylinder shaft, said driven wheel havingav lradial slot for receiving the second sleeve.

for supporting said cases and provided with a conical seat, the' outersurface of said cases beinonical to fit said seats.

9. ulti color sheet intaglio printing ma- .chinecomprising, incombination, an impres- ,slon cylinder, printlng cylmders movabletowards the impression cylinder and awayA from it,\each printingcylinder supported by ashaft, at least two bearings for supporting theshaft, a third bearing, stops on the shaft mentioned bearin s, saidshaft being axially movable in said earings, and brackets for supportingsaid cases and provided with a conical seat, the outer surface of saidcases being conical to 'fit said seats, the smallest diameter of theconical seat being greater than the cylinder.

10. In a multi-color sheet intaglio printing machine, in combination,an' impression cylinder, printing cylinders movable towards 'theimpression cylinder and away from vit and having removable shells, ashaft sup orting each of said printing cylinders, two ear-` ings forsaidshaft-free of abutments, where.- by said shaft may be shiftedlongitudinally at or next to the third bearing, bearing for A .receivingthe bearing elements of the firstgreatest diameter of the printing losin said bearings, at least one of sa1d bearings being easily removable,.the seat of such bearing being larger than the largest diameter of theprint-ing cylinder, and a third bearing for said shaft, said bearingadapted to support said shaft upon assembly' ordisassembly of the shell.

. 11. In a multi-color ysheet intaglio print ing machine, incombination, an impressiony cylinder, printing cydinders movable towardsthe impression cylinder and away from it and having removable shells, ashaftsup porting each of said printing cylinders, two' bearings for saidshaft free of abutments,

whereby said shaft may be shifted longitudinally in said bearings, atleast one of said.

bearings bein easily removable,- the seat of such bearing eing largerthan the largest diameter of the printing' cylinder, 'a third 4bearing.forA said( shaft, and means in said third bearing for adjusing saidshaft longi tudinall a bearing element of said third bearing ingattened, the attened portion being adapted to support the shaft uponremoval of said easily removable bearing.

ARNOLD EGLI.

